RENAULT

Renault Problems

34 owner complaints across 2 Renault models. Below — what fails first, how often it ends in a crash, and which models draw the most reports.

NHTSA owner complaints · 34 reports · 2 models · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Quick answer

Renault owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA across 2 models. On average the car was 9.33 years old when the problem happened, and 3.7% of reports fall inside the first three years — while the factory warranty was still running.

What breaks on Renault

The systems Renault owners report most, and how often each failure ended in a crash.

FIG.01·Renault — what breaks
SystemComplaintsShare of RenaultEnded in a crash
Visibility2161.8%0%
Power Train38.8%33.3%
Fuel System, Gasoline25.9%0%
Seats25.9%0%
Structure12.9%0%
Steering12.9%100%
Seat Belts12.9%0%
Engine And Engine Cooling12.9%100%
ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

When Renault problems show up

FIG.02·Renault — when problems appear
MeasureValueWhat it means
Average age at failure9.33 yearsHow old the car was when the problem happened
Reported inside 3 years3.7%Share of complaints filed while the factory warranty was likely still running
Complaints describing a crash3Of 34 total
Complaints describing a fire2Of 34 total
ROWS 4·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

A low average age does not automatically mean a fragile car: a brand with a young fleet on the road will always skew early. Read it next to the share reported inside three years.

Which Renault models draw the most complaints

Volume follows sales, so a bestseller will always top this list. The columns worth reading are age at failure and how many reports ended in a crash.

FIG.03·Renault models by owner complaints
ModelComplaintsShare of RenaultAvg age at failureCrashes
ALLIANCE2985.3%9.2 yrs3
ENCORE514.7%10.3 yrs
ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

What Renault owners report

Grouped by the system owners named. Open any row for the full reports, in their own words — one per model so the same fault does not repeat.

Visibility 62% 21 Read
1985 Renault ALLIANCE

Involved in recall for cooling system/heater core, recall no 88V087000/541 received on 4/95, has not had repairs done, dealer is not willing to set an appt

1986 Renault ENCORE

Owner had work preformed on vehicle due to recall concerning heater core. Recall work was completed and this resulted in heater core meltdown. Owner is very concerned about this problem

Power Train 9% 3

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Fuel System, Gasoline 6% 2 Read
1987 Renault ALLIANCE

Defective fuel tank.*mr the vehicle leaked gas from the fuel tank even though there was no evidence of rust or damage. The dealer suggested the fuel tank was poor manufacturing. The consumer requested a refund for the replacement tank

Seats 6% 2

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Structure 3% 1

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Steering 3% 1

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Seat Belts 3% 1

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Engine And Engine Cooling 3% 1

Detailed owner reports aren't available for this category.

Unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Percentages are shares of all 34 Renault complaints.

Renault against the rest

FIG.05·Renault versus other brands
MeasureWhere Renault sitsOut of
By complaint volume#029 brands with 3,000+ complaints
By age at failure (later is better)#029 brands
Complaints ending in a crash8.8%across all 34 reports
ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints + ForCar

Ranking by volume says more about how many cars a brand sells than about how they hold up. Age at failure is the fairer of the two.

Renault problems by model

2 Renault models have owner complaints on file. Pick one for its worst years, failing systems and what owners actually wrote.

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How we count

Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.

A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.

Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.

Frequently asked questions

How reliable is Renault?

Owners have filed 34 complaints across 2 Renault models. On its own that number reflects how many Renault cars are on the road — compare the average age at failure (9.33 years) instead.

What breaks most often on a Renault?

The most reported system is Visibility with 21 complaints.

Do Renault problems show up under warranty?

3.7% of Renault complaints describe something that happened in the first three years, while the factory warranty was likely still running.

Which Renault model has the most complaints?

See the model list above — each card shows its complaint count, and the model page breaks it down by year and by system.

Owner complaints from NHTSA, published as filed and unverified. Age at failure computed by ForCar from incident date and model year; production series grouped by the first 11 VIN characters. Last updated Aug 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.